


The Funeral

by crownjewel82



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Redeemed Dudley Dursley, Vernon Dursley Dies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28085832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crownjewel82/pseuds/crownjewel82
Summary: "Uncle Vernon had a heart attack. He's dead."When Harry left 4 Privet Drive he thought he'd never return, let alone to say goodbye to the uncle who'd hated him his entire life. But, he'd already faced down dementors for Dudley. He could face his past.
Relationships: Dudley Dursley/Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 80





	The Funeral

Not for the first time, Ginny wanted to be rid of the telephone. They'd been having a lovely evening with another couple while their kids were, for once, playing quietly upstairs. Then the bloody phone rang. They'd originally gotten the thing when Mrs. Tonks had decided to send Teddy to a muggle primary school. Harry and Hermione had said that if they were going to go this route that it was necessary. Unfortunately, the muggle-worthy excuses office had agreed. Ginny could admit that it had come in handy. But, it had a bad habit of ringing at the most inconvenient times.

"Hello"

"Dudley, what's wrong?"

"When?"

"Do you want me to come?"

"Look it won't be a problem, I'll come."

"I can take a day off if I need to. It's fine."

"Take care."

Harry walked back into the living room looking pale.

"What happened?" Ginny asked but she suspected the answer.

"Uncle Vernon had a heart attack. He's dead."

_Good riddance._ Ginny thought, but she held her tongue.

"Were you close to him?" Trish asked.

Harry sat down on the sofa. "I grew up in his house." 

Paul must have picked up on Harry's tone because he asked, "Difficult relationship?"

"You could say that." Harry answered. "He was an abusive son of a bitch. I got out of there the week I turned 17. Never looked back."

Ginny might have gone to the liquor cabinet to get him a shot of something to relax his nerves but she knew he'd likely need a calming draught to sleep tonight. Delving into childhood memories always put Harry into emotional turmoil.

"But you're going to the service?" Trish asked.

"My cousin. It's been harder on him in a lot of ways since he realized what a bastard his father was. He could never just walk away like I did."

Ginny gave Harry a reassuring touch and then got up to leave the room. "I'm going to go call mum and see if she can watch the kids tomorrow."

"What why?"

"Because I'm going with you."

"Ginny." She could hear the pleading tone in his voice. He didn't want an argument but that was fine because neither did she.

"There's no chance I'm going to let you face those people alone." She gave him the same look she gave James when he was trying her patience and Harry made an acquiescing gesture.

She walked down to the kitchen to use the fire there hoping that Trish and Paul didn't think it odd that she hadn't used the phone in the study that Harry had used. Ginny tossed floo powder into the fireplace and put her head through and shouted "The Burrow."

* * *

On a whim, Harry decided to drive into Surrey. The slower trip would give him time to process all of his emotions on the way down and on the way back. It also gave him time to spend alone with Ginny. He hadn't wanted her to come. His family were truly horrible people and he'd avoided subjecting her to their worst behavior so far. A case had kept him away from Dudley's wedding. They'd encountered Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon when they'd gone to see Dudley's newborn daughter. That had been challenging enough but the hospital staff's stern warnings had kept Uncle Vernon's temper from getting the better of him.

This trip though, there would be no avoiding the worst of it. Aside from Aunt Petunia there would be Marge and the Colonel and a whole host of people who hated Harry. He'd have faced it all for Dudley's sake. Dudley who'd nearly been kissed by a dementor and had never been the same. He'd made a real effort to become someone better. Harry respected that. He doubted that he and Dudley would ever be close like he and Ron were close, but that was still far closer than he'd ever imagined them being when they were 16.

He stole a glance at Ginny who, in lieu of the black dress robes she might have worn to a wizarding funeral, was wearing a black sleeveless sheath dress, a black lace shawl, and her hair was pulled up under a black hat with a veil. She was elegant and he thought she might have taken more care than normal with her appearance for his sake. He decided right then that they were leaving the kids with their grandparents through the weekend. He told her so and she laughed.

She'd taken some care with his appearance too. He'd pulled out a black suit but she'd made him sit for a haircut first. While he was shaving, she'd transfigured his shirt to a deep charcoal and put a carefully folded silk handkerchief in his pocket.

When they pulled into the church parking lot, the car had turned heads. He hadn't intended on buying anything flashy but he'd liked driving. He'd refused to buy a Lamborghini or a Porsche on principle and so the third option had been an American muscle car. Once he'd paid for the shipping, the custom paint - Ginny had wanted green - and the right hand drive conversion, Harry felt like he'd paid for a Porsche but he did love the car. The dozens of pairs of eyes staring at it and him as he walked around to open Ginny's door and help her up, not so much.

They made their way inside and up to the casket where Uncle Vernon was laid out in his best suit. The mortician had done his best but you couldn't fix the effects of years of neglect with makeup.

_He really was dead._ Harry thought. He'd never shout at Harry again. He'd never lock him in his room or... Harry blinked. Uncle Vernon hadn't done any of those things in more than 10 years. But somehow, standing there, he'd become a child again, frightened, hungry, and all alone. He tore his eyes away and tried to bring himself back to the present. He felt Ginny's hand on his back and he remembered that he was safe and loved and had nothing to fear from these people who'd tormented him for half of his life. 

He looked around for Dudley but found Aunt Petunia instead. She was sitting with a friend, Yvonne, Harry thought. He didn't remember much about her except that she was yet another miserable person. Harry tried to move away, not wanting a confrontation but Aunt Petunia had already seen him. She was angrier than he'd ever seen her.

"Come to piss on his grave, have you?" Harry fought the urge to rise to her bait.

"Hello Aunt Petunia." He said in an even tone with no malice and no pleasant affectations. "You remember my wife, Ginny." 

Ginny was wearing a perfectly appropriate, if completely false, expression and offered her hand to Aunt Petunia.

"Mrs. Dursley, we're very sorry for your loss." It was delivered well enough that had Harry not known better, he'd have thought she meant it. Aunt Petunia didn't even acknowledge Ginny.

"You've got no right to be here. No right at all. It's not as though..."

"It's not as though I'm family or anything." Harry said. "Or that I lived in your house for 15 years."

"You always hated him. Don't act as though you didn't."

"No, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon always hated me. There's a difference." Harry made himself sound cool, calm, and in complete control even though he felt anything but. "Besides, I didn't come for him or you. I came for Dudley. Where is he by the way?" She pointed. Harry saw where Dudley and his wife Henrietta sat receiving guests of their own on the other side of the room.

He left his aunt in the care of her friend. As he walked towards Dudley, he saw Marge and the Colonel walking in and was thankful that he had an entire room between them. For now.

"Harry." Dudley looked relieved. Instead of shaking Harry's hand he went for a hug. Harry hugged him back. When they let go Dudley hugged Ginny and Harry found himself embraced by a very pregnant Henrietta.

"Hello Hen." Harry gave her a genuine smile. "I thought you two were sure about having just the one."

"Well it certainly was a surprise but it's one that we're all happy about." Henrietta said. "I really appreciate you coming. Petunia and Marge have been driving poor Dudley up a wall and Marge isn't even here yet."

"Actually, she just walked in."

Henrietta looked around. "Oh drat. Well now the show's really about to start."

They watched as Marge made a dramatic display of grief over her brother's body. To Harry's horror, he saw that she'd brought one of the bloody bulldogs.

"Is that the Aunt you blew up?" Ginny whispered in Harry's ear.

"Yup." Harry had to force down his complicated feelings on the matter. On one hand he'd been deathly afraid and angry at the time. On the other the memory of Marge bouncing on the ceiling made him want to laugh out loud. Harry heard a snort next to him and turned to see Dudley suppressing a smile.

"You know you missed the part where they actually got her down. Even then it was bloody hilarious." Dudley said.

They made it through the service just fine. Dudley had insisted that Harry and Ginny sit with the family. It put him closer than he would have liked to Marge and Aunt Petunia and hadn't helped the mutterings about the posh couple who'd arrived in the fancy American sports car. At the graveside, Harry and Dudley had stood with their arms around each other's shoulders watching Vernon Dursley be lowered into the grave and covered with dirt.

"He treated us both like crap really." Dudley said. "You were his punching bag and I was no better than a spoiled pet. He got worse after you left. You were out of reach and I didn't want anything to do with him. So when I did see him it was bad."

Harry saw the tears falling down Dudley's face.

"I just wish..."

Harry finally felt his own unexpected tears. "I wish he'd been someone I could have been proud to know and love."

Dudley nodded. It was then that Harry realized that he'd needed to be here. Not for Dudley but for himself. Harry hugged his cousin and they walked back to where their wives were waiting.

"I understand if you don't want to but, come back to the house. I have something to show you."

Harry nodded.

Harry stood in front of number 4 Privet Drive surprised that he was actually back.

"It looks like it came out of a magazine. The whole street does." Ginny observed.

"Yea. The whole neighborhood is full of people who believe in making sure things look good on the outside and don't give a damn about what things are like on the inside." Harry said. "I'd rather be in the dungeons with a cheesed off Professor Snape than here any day."

Ginny smiled. "At least it isn't damp and moldy."

"True." Harry smiled. "Well, want to see inside?"

Harry led Ginny inside the house. He was surprised by the number of people who had come. He recognized some of Dudley's friends from primary school and a few people from the neighborhood.

"Harry Potter, is that you?" Came a voice from behind him. He turned to spot an old teacher of his.

"Mrs. Crabtree?"

He was at least 6 inches taller than her and she still managed to look down her nose at him. "Well you certainly grew up didn't you?"

"Yes, ma'am. That is what usually happens."

"And what have you been up to all these years? Not getting into trouble are you?"

"Actually, I'm in law enforcement ma'am."

"Really, well they say troublemakers generally go one way or the other."

"Yes they do say that ma'am."

"I imagine that a constable's salary didn't pay for that fancy car."

"I'm with the Security Service actually. And I had an inheritance from a long lost godfather. Uncle Sirius wouldn't have been happy if I hadn't indulged a few vices, Mrs. Crabtree." 

Seeing that the conversation was going poorly he gently pulled Ginny away from making pleasantries with a stranger.

"Uh... Mrs. Crabtree, this is my wife Ginevra. Darling, this is Mrs. Crabtree. She taught Dudley and I when we were 8."

Since Harry only ever called her Ginevra when he was in trouble, she knew to put on her most polished manners that would have done for the Queen herself. It was the version of herself she used when dragged to fancy Ministry dos a couple times a year. She managed to thoroughly impress Mrs. Crabtree.

"Well, Potter where did you find this one."

"Harry and I met at school. He played rugby with three of my brothers. Captain of the team if you can believe it."

"Three of them." Mrs. Crabtree raised an eyebrow. "Just how many do you have?"

"Six. All older."

Harry gave his best public school chuckle. "I did always like living dangerously. That lot did keep me on the straight and narrow though."

"Oh hush you." Ginny said. "Really, Harry was the only boy they approved of."

"Still, seven children, your poor mother."’

"Nonsense. She's swimming in grandchildren. Couldn't be happier."

When they finally divested themselves of a pleased Mrs. Crabtree, Harry whispered into Ginny's ear. "She's hated me since I turned her wig blue. Thank you."

Their private laugh was interrupted by the person Harry had been dreading the most, but, what the hell. He was going to have some fun.

"Alright there Marge?" She sputtered at his entirely too casual tone.

"You know I heard that load of nonsense you told that woman. Met her at some posh public school did you. Rubbish. Everyone knows where my brother sent you, you ungrateful little wretch. And Dudley's been going around telling people you've got some sort of job with the police but you've signed the Official Secrets Act. Like they'd let a little criminal like you into the police."

"Lovely to see you too Marge. How are the dogs?" She was thrown. He was supposed to be angry and afraid, not smug and cavalier. Well, he wasn't a little boy any more. And, even if he was, Marge Dursley was nothing compared to Dolores Umbridge.

"And showing up in that car. Everyone's saying it's a rental but I know you stole it. You're good for nothing just like that father of yours and you probably found that trollop in the skip outside that school for criminal boys you went to."

She was getting louder and people were starting to pay attention. Marge was always good at finding which buttons to push. If he'd been 13, her foul comments directed at Ginny would have had him doing more than inflating her. Thankfully, he had better control over his magic but he was quickly losing control over his tongue. Just as he was about to deliver a scathing response, Dudley was there.

"That's enough Aunt Marge."

"Whatever do you mean Dudley dear?"

"I'm done hearing that revolting lie. He's dead so there's no reason to keep telling it."

"What lie is that?"

"Harry didn't go to St. Brutus Secure Center for Criminally Incurable Boys. Dad made it up. The truth is that Harry's parents had a trust set up for him and they put his name down for a public school. Dad didn't have to pay a dime for it and he still tried to stop Harry from going."

Well, now everyone was paying attention. Marge and Aunt Petunia looked angry and Piers was in a corner staring with his mouth open.

"Dudley, you're upset. Perhaps you'd better sit down before you say something you'll regret." Aunt Petunia said.

"What I regret, mother, is being a part of your efforts to ruin Harry's life. Thankfully, he's done alright for himself in spite of us." Dudley glared at Marge and his mother. "He went to a good school, got a good education, a good job, a good wife, and he's got four good kids. Everything is good in his life and you can't claim to have had a hand in any of it so you spread lies about him being a criminal."

Aunt Petunia really ought to have kept her mouth shut. But, she was so determined to control how people saw her that she couldn't help herself. "You act as though we mistreated him. We didn't treat you badly did we Harry?"

Harry gave his aunt a withering look. Thought he was still 6 and afraid of what would happen if he didn't say everything was fine at home, did she? She must have forgotten that she hadn't had any hold over him in a very long time.

"Treated him badly, mother? You locked him in the bloody cupboard."

There were gasps all around the room and he could feel eyes on him. Ginny's hand tightened on his arm. He knew that she'd known about the cat flap and the bars on the window from Ron but he'd never told her about the cupboard under the stairs.

"You're not remembering correctly, Dudley. He got himself stuck in there a couple of times that's all."

"Did he starve himself as well mother? Beat himself too? You let Aunt Marge set her bloody dogs on him when we were six."

Harry wanted to do nothing more than disapperate. As many times as he'd wished that people knew how his aunt and uncle had treated him, he'd never wanted Ginny to know. Her gaze on him was accusing.

"And what about me mother, I was bloody helpless when I went to Uni. Didn't even know how to wash a dish because you made Harry do all the chores."

"It was your choice to move out Dudley."

"You're damn right it was my choice to move out. If I'd had half the stones Harry had I'd have done what he did and never looked back."

Dudley stormed up the steps and away from the crowd. Henrietta tried to go after him but Harry took the opportunity. He went up the stairs two at a time and found Dudley in his old room.

Harry sat down at the desk and in spite of himself, laughed. Dudley laughed too.

"It feels good. I mean I've told her before but never in front of people like that."

Since no one else could see, Harry pulled out his wand and conjured a bottle of firewhiskey and a couple of tumblers. He magically filled both and then floated one to Dudley.

"Yea but did you see Marge."

"Oh God, she looked like she was going to end up on the ceiling again."

"Well it wouldn't have been my fault this time."

"No, it might have been my fault." came Ginny's voice from the door. She kicked off her heels as she walked across the room and sat down on Harry's knee. She took Harry's glass from him and finished it. When she held it out for a refill, Harry conjured another glass and filled hers and his.

"You haven't told me this story," said Henrietta who had sat down on the bed next to Dudley.

"Well, you saw the crap Marge pulled just now? Last time it was basically the same except she turned up on my 13th birthday." He and Dudley told the story in turns.

"After he stormed out, we were just there wondering what the hell to do when a squad of blokes in funny hats and robes burst through the door. Two of them handle deflating Aunt Marge but I guess they forgot about gravity because she hit the floor with this loud splat. They pick her up and there's a bunch of wand waving to fix the broken nose and busted lip. Dad is bloody furious and Mum is just in shock. One of the blokes starts going on about paperwork for memory modification and such when this chap in a bowler hat shows up."

"Bloody hell, Fudge didn't tell me he actually came to the house."

"Yes that was his name. Fudge. Starts talking about how he's terribly sorry and he understands that young wizards sometimes have accidents with magic and it's terribly good of us to give him a home. Dad is looking like he wants to say that Harry hadn't got a home anymore since he inflated his sister. Fudge just blows it off like dad will change his mind once he calms down. Who was this Fudge character anyhow?"

"Minister of Magic." Harry said. "Our Prime Minister. Tosser found me in London the next day and acted like he'd done me some grand favor keeping me out of trouble and convincing Uncle Vernon to take me back the next summer. "

"So that's why you didn't get expelled. That letter you got said you'd be expelled if you did any more magic out of school."

"They were covering it up." Henrietta said. "Why?"

Ginny answered before Harry could. "Couldn't be expelling the famous Harry Potter from school. Not when he'd run away from home while there was a bloody escaped mass murderer out there looking for him."

"There was an escaped mass murderer looking for you?"

Ginny laughed and Henrietta just looked confused.

"Sirius Black was my godfather." Harry explained. "An old school friend of his named Pettigrew framed him for murdering my parents, 12 muggles and Pettigrew himself. Sirius found out that Pettigrew was hiding out at Hogwarts and broke out of prison intending to kill Pettigrew and maybe clear his name. Seeing me was just a bonus."

"There was a mass murderer hiding in a school?"

"Not specifically, it was just that his hiding place took him to school every year."

"I don't understand."

"Long story short, both Pettigrew and Sirius were animagi. Wizards with an animal form. Sirius was a great black dog and Pettigrew was a rat. Well, he stayed in his animal form for 12 years pretending to be her brothers' pet."

"Oh my word." Henrietta said.

"Yep. Mass murdering death eater in my house for the whole of my life and we had no clue. No one did. Except Dad won a 700 galleon prize." Ginny explained.

Harry quickly did the conversions. "About £3500."

"We got our picture in the daily prophet and everything and Ron insisted on holding his pet rat for the photo."

"And that's how Black knew where Pettigrew was." Henrietta said.

"Yep."

"So was your godfather ever able to clear his name?"

"His name was cleared after he died in the first battle of the war."

"And Pettigrew?"

Ginny laid her head on his shoulder and held him close. He'd told her this story years before and she knew how much telling it twisted him up inside.

"I stopped Remus and Sirius from killing Pettigrew. Saved his life. Years later, at the height of the war, Pettigrew tried to kill me but he couldn't. So, his master made him strangle himself to death with his bare hands."

Henrietta and Dudley shuddered. Harry finished the drink in his hand. It was fairly late and the house sounded quieter. It was Piers who came upstairs to find them.

"I um... we got everything cleaned up once everyone left. Your mum's gone to bed I think." Piers said. He looked at Harry with shame in his eyes. "Harry, I..."

"Not tonight Piers alright." Harry said. "I'm not angry. I haven't been angry in years. But, I just can't hear it tonight okay."

"Sure." Piers turned and left.

Harry pulled out his watch. "I guess we should probably get going too."

They all stood up and Ginny and Henrietta went downstairs together. Harry started but Dudley stopped him. 

"I almost forgot. I had something to show you." Dudley waved him in the direction of the attic and Harry followed. "When mum and dad cleaned out your room, I tossed all your stuff into your old trunk and moved it up here."

Dudley turned on the light and there it was. His old trunk was covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs. Harry opened the lid and found old school books, rolls of parchment, ink jars, and other memories. Things he hadn't been able to fit in his knapsack. A folder on the top was new though. Harry picked it up.

"That's everything mum and dad had on you. School reports. Birth certificate. Old photos. Dad was going to toss it all."

Harry found himself in tears again. "Blimey Dudley."

They carried the trunk downstairs together and set it into the trunk of the Charger. It was a little too big so Harry shrunk it down a bit to let the trunk close.

"Convenient that."

"Yea."

They embraced again and he and Ginny climbed into the car and started the drive back home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> This isn't my first story but it's the first one I've felt confident enough about to publish. I did want to note that Dudley's comment that Harry has four kids is not an error. Dudley met Teddy when he first reconnected with Harry and has always counted him as one of Harry's kids. If this story gets some decent response I'll publish that story next.
> 
> Thanks again.


End file.
